The Craft Blu-rayReview

The Craft is a truly odd little teen horror flick. Usually films that involve witchcraft, wizards and other-worldly things tend to have a slightly stronger fantasy angle to them -- think Harry Potter.

But, The Craft dares to be different. The film takes place in our "modern" world, circa 1996 -- the age of frump. There are no fantastical schools, giant trolls or broomsticks. The school here is just that: a mundane, grimy high school. The trolls are testosterone-injected jocks and the broomsticks are fast cars.

The Craft tells the story of three young girls (Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True) as they befriend a new student (Robin Tunney) who, like them, is a witch capable of churning up ancient powers. Together they form a clique and begin holding séances in order to ward off bullies, boys and other nefarious characters that infest their lowly lives. But their powers grow too great, and the girls -- one in particular -- become drawn into witchcraft's darker side.

Originally designed as a PG-13 scare flick for young teen girls, the film unfortunately received an R-rating, not because it was violent (there's barely a drop of blood) or full of language (there's nary a curse word in sight), but because the characters in the film practiced witchcraft. Admittedly, today this film would undoubtedly be PG-13. My, how times have thankfully changed over the years.

Because of the unfair rating, the film wasn't a huge success when it was released, but grew into a cult hit once on home video. Here it quickly found the right audience, which mostly consists of girls, though the film has also become popular among teens and the gay community -- those interested in witchcraft and gothic culture (though the representation of real witches is more than a little skewed).

And even though The Craft is just over 13 years old now (a teen itself), it holds up fairly well (barring the film's frumpy hair and clothing styles). The young performers do a wonderful job with their characters, and the story is surprisingly fun. The film, in some ways, is basically a twist on your old cruddy, propaganda-filled TV afterschool specials. Instead of drugs or alcohol being the negative catalyst, it's witchcraft and sorcery.

The fresh take on the material does much to liven it up. The always trashy, but effective, Balk has a great time with her over-the-top gothic witch, and the rest of the supporting cast does their best to keep up (Campbell is sorely underused).

Sadly though, the film still conforms to a few genre cliches and feels far less memorable because of this. The characters end up fitting their usual molds and the film seems determined to wrap itself up nicely, even though all signs don't always point toward a happy ending. It's a shame the third act couldn't have twisted into something a little bit sharper, not to mention fresh.

The picture isn't particularly scary, either. While the finale is loaded with just about every creepy crawler (insect, arachnid and/or mammal) that teens are afraid of, the film does little to create a haunting atmosphere. And jump scares are trimmed to the bare minimum. With the sole exception of a handful of scenes, The Craft barely registers as horror at all.

Still, the film has its charming allure. It's actually odd that we haven't seen a sequel yet. With teen fantasy selling at an all-time high with books, TV and films like Twilight, Harry Potter, The Vampire Diaries and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, it seems now is the time to toss a little witchcraft into the melting pot. If nothing else, why haven't we seen a DTV sequel? Even 8MM has a crappy DTV sequel.

To be honest though, it's probably for the best that The Craft never garnered a sequel, be it theatrical or straight-to-video. The film is akin to picture's like Heathers or Charlie Bartlett, working perfectly as a standalone twist on the usual high school muck that's spoon-fed to teens.

Besides, the story and characters hold up well, so there's little reason to retread the original story, unless of course, filmmakers actually have something new and equally interesting to say. Until that time (don't hold your breath), enjoy what The Craft has to offer. It isn't a great film, but it is a lot of fun.